Process of making nut blanks



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aftozweq July 26, 1927.

J. F. GOLDING PRoqEss OF MAKING NUT BLANKS Filed April 24, 1926 2Sheets-Sheet 2 IIAIIL Patented July 26, 1927 J'OHN I. GOLDING, 0FPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROCESS OF MAKING NU'I BLANKS.

Application filed April 24, 1828. Serial No. 104,477.

My invention relates to a process of making nut blanks from heated andsoftened metal, and relates to the subject of my prlor application No.629,440, filed April 2, 1923 and No. 741,267 filed October 2, 1924. Inthe second application above referred to the cutting edges of theoutside or female dies and the punch were arranged at or about the same.level so that both of these instrumentalities would begin to operateupon the metal at about the same time, the punch being within the saidoutside member. In that case the outward flow of'heated and softenedmetal caused by the pressure of the punch was somewhat restricted orrestrained by the outside cutting die which was advancing into the metalat the same time with the punch, but I have discovered that by delayingthe action of the punch so that the outside die will have entered themetal before thepunch begins to act, the outflow of the soft metal canbe very much'more restricted, even to the point where the nut blankproduced will be of ve little less thickness than the thickness 0 themetal operated upon. More broadly considered the amount of metalconserved in the nut blank, and the vertical dimension of the same, maybe regulated b the .times at which the cuttin and punc ing respectively,take place, and thinner nuts, of less vertical dimension, can beproduced when desired by advancing the action of the punch, orrelatively retarding the action of said cutting die, to any desiredextent. This can be effected without any change in the verticaldimension of the die space within which the nut blank is received as itis produced, and in a simple manner by operating the die and punch fromthe same press crosshead and providing a screw adjustment by which therelative heights of the die and punch may be adjusted.

With such objects in view, as well as other advantages which may beincident to the use of the improvements, the invention consists in theprocedure, and in the use of the parts and combinations thereofhereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding that theseveral necessary elements constituting the same may be varied inproportions and arrangement without departing from the nature and scopeof the invention.

In orderto make the invention more clearly understood there are shown inthe accompanying drawings means for carrying the same into practicaleffect without limiting the improvements, in their useful apphcations,to the particular constructions or steps of procedure which, for thepurpose of explanation, have been made the subject of illustration. Inthe said drawings 2-- Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of so much ofa die press, adapted for the production of nut blanks, as is necessaryfor the understanding of my invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a vertical sectlonal view of the blankcutting devices, anda side View of the nut blank produced, when saidadjustment is such that the die and punch will begin to act at about thesame time.

Figs. 4 and 5 are similar views showing the same parts when theadjustment is such that the outside die has completed its cutting at thetime when the punch begins to cut.

Figs. 6 and 7 are similar views of the same parts when said ad'ustmentis such that the punch has complete its operation at the time when theoutside die begins to act.

Figs. 8 and 9 are similar views of the same parts, when the adjustmentis such that the outside die will have made about two-thirds of itscutting when the punch begins'to act.

Referring to the drawings 2 is the male die which-is preferably fixedfirmly but removably in the lower part of the press as a lower die. 3 isthe outside or female and upper die fixed by a set-block 4 and set screw5 in the die holder 6, the latter being vertically movable with thecross-head 7 of the press. The holder 6 also carries a hammer 8' securedtherein by a set screw 9, and the hammer cooperates with an anvil part10 of the bed of the press to flatten the heated and softened slug '2;to the form shown at to (Fig. 1). On the descent of the holder 6 thehammer performs its flattening operation on the heated slug which hasbeen positioned beneath it and atthe same time the die 3 cooperates tocut the blank :1: from a flattened slug w (Fig. 1), which has beenpositioned and centered between the dies and form the blank with smoothvertical sides. The unflattened metal is fed under the hammer 8, and theflattened metal under the die 3, by means set forth in my saidapplications, or otherwise, and a description of feeding means is notnecessary to an understanding of my present invention.

The hole cutter or piercer 11 cooperates with the perforation 12 of thedie 2 to very ration- 12. The cutting operation of the dies 2 and 3forms and removes from the blank w a ring-like scrap y, the same beingthe outer rim of the slug which has thus been cut.

7 This scrap y as it, is made forces down a plate 13, or this plate ismechanically lowered at this instant, and when the d1e'3 rises the plate13 is lifted and strips the scrap 3 up from around the die 2, and beforethe next flattened slug is centered between the dies the scrap isremoved or swept away by suitable means. This trimming 3 may be thenflattened, whereby the central opening is closed up to a considerableextent, and is then cut by dies to produce cheaply a circular washerhaving a concentric hole. This may be performed by substituting in thepress suitable washer dies and then feeding the said trimmings under thehammer and thence between the washer dies.

The piercer 11 moves with the holder 6 and die 3, having a head 15fitted in slots 16 in an adjusting screw 17 the latter being screwedinto the holder 6. By the screw 17 the piercer may be adjusted relativeto the bottom of the die 3 to be flush therewith (Fig. 2) or to beretarded in action relative to the outside die (Figs. 1, 4 and 8), or tobe relatively advanced (Fig. 6) as may be desired.

Around the piercer is arranged the blankejector 18 so as to bevertically slidable in the holder 6 and die 3. The ejector is loose andas the nut blank is cut the ejector is lifted by the blank, but itimposes no pressure endwise or down on the blank excepting the mereweight of the ejector, and the latter has no function to crown theblank. The ejector has yoke arms extending out throu h slots in theholder and these arms may e provided with adjustable stop screws, saidarms of the yoke and stop screws being illustrated in my saidapplication Serial No. 741,267. When the holder 6 is lifted" the screwsencounter fixed parts of the press frame and the ejector is arrested andthe finished nut blank is stripped from off the piercer and from withinthe die 3. The blank not being pressed on its top by any usual formingand crowning plunger, the softened metal is free to expand or swellupward in the die 3, and the thickness of the finished blank dependsupon the thickness of the metal which is placed on the lower die and ischanged in thickness by the die-cutting action; and the thickness of themetal operated on depends upon the selection of a desired thickness ofmetal or upon the action of the hammer 8, and also upon the actions ofthe outside die and punch as explained.

Preliminary to the above described blankforming operation the metal, inthe form of slugs or any other suitable shape, is heated to make itsufliciently soft to cut smoothly and then su lied or'fed, automaticallyor in any suita e manner, to cuttin posltion between the dies 2 and 3.Such heating is or, may be to a temperature of 1200f to 1600 F., more orless, and by the devices therein set forth or by other practicablemeans.

The relative times of action of the outside or female die and thecentralv punch are of great importance. As soon as the outside diebegins to cut the outflow of soft metal from the interior of the die andfrom the body of the blank into the outside trimming or scrap begins tobe restricted. If the punch acts first and the outside die acts laterthe outward fiow of the metal is less restrained and less metal willremain in the nut blank and more of the metal operated on will pass outinto the trimming, and the vertical thickness or height of the nut blankwill be correspondingly less. If the punch and dies be in to act atabout the same time the outwar flow of the metal will be more restrainedor restricted and the nut blank will have more metal in it and be ofgreater height and the trimming will contain less metal. All of theseresults are more marked as the relative adjustment of the punch and die,and the relay of the action of the punch, are made reater. At themaximum of this relative a justment the die will have completed itsaction and the outside of the nut blank completely out before the punchbegins to act.

The die and punch are operated by the same vertically moving cross-head,and the more metal is received into the die and the nut blank becomeshigher the ejector rises up to accommodate itself to the greater amountof metal and height of the nut.

In these operations the metal to be cut is to be at the proper heat andsoftness.

It will be observed from the foregoing that my method is very economicalin conserving in the nut blank a-very large proportion of the metaloperated on and in greatly reducing the amount of the resulting scrap;also it is of great advanta e in regulating the amount of metal in thelank, and the consequent height of the blank, b the use of the samedies, and by the said a justment of the times of operation of thecutting elements.

The conservation of metal for the greater height of the nut blank,especially near the middle of the top of the blank is of material use inthat more length of thread is obtained in the finished nut in proportionto the amount of metal employed.

In the operation above described the perfect crowning of the nut blankis performed by the cutting pressure of the outside die, and when theoutward flow of metal from the body of the blank is considerablyrestricted the depression of the middle of the crown of the nut by thepunch is of small amount so that practically the full and desired heightof the blank is obtained at the perforation which is to bescrew-threaded.

In the crowning of t-henut blanks as heretofore produced, by a separateoperation after the blank has been made, the metal removed in theformation of the crown is entirely lost, but by my improvement it isconserved in the nut blank and what passes away in the trimming is inthe form of available scrap, and the cost of such crowning operation issaved.

The word vertical as used herein is not a word of limitation, but onlyrefers to the machine illustrated, and the dies may be mounted to workhorizontally, or in any suitable direction, although the verticalarrangement is preferable.

Vhat I claim is 1. In the use of .dies having a punch and outside diefor cutting nut blanks from heated and softened metal, the method ofregulating the amount of metal conserved in the thickness of the blanks,which consists in restricting or increasing the outflow of the 2. Aprocess of making nut blanks from metal, which consists iniheating themetal to make it sufficiently soft to be cut smoothly, and then cuttingthe metal along all the Vertical sides of the nut blank to be producedand removing the exterior trimming to form the desired faces of theblank, and removing the metal from the middle of the blank to form aperforation, and restricting the outflow of the metal from within theblank, and regulating the amount of metal in the body of the blank bycausing the cutting of the sides of the blank to begin prior to thebeginningof the formation of said perforation.

3. A process of making nut blanks from metal, which consists in heatingthe metal to make it sufficiently soft to be cut smoothly, and thencutting the metal alon all the vertical sides of the nut blank to beproduced and removing the exterior trimming to form the desired faces ofthe blank, and removing the metal from the middle of the blank to form aperforation, and leaving the blank unrestricted as to its endwisedimension or height so that more or less metal may be retained in thebody of the blank, and regulating said dimension by causing the cuttingof the sides of the blank to begin more or less in advance of theforming of said perforation.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signautre.

JOHN F. GOLDING.

